Frugal recipes

by Paul Warburton on 02 October 2009  |  15 comments
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Check out this amazing recipe for lemon and rosemary chicken thighs with a baby spinach, new potato and cherry tomato salad.

Recipe #16:  Lemon and rosemary chicken thighs with a baby spinach, new potato and cherry tomato salad (serves 4)

In our brand new Frugal Recipe series, we'll be looking at cheaper cuts of meat and cheaper more sustainable fish and how to make them into some fantastic meals over the next couple of months.

I'll be showing you some recipes that are great alternatives to (and in my opinion equally delicious as) the more expensive pork chops, chicken breasts and un-sustainable cod options.

In this week's recipe I'll be using chicken thighs as a cracking alternative to chicken breasts. Not only are chicken thighs richer and have more flavour, they are also a great deal cheaper. You just need to bone and skin yourself to save a little more money if you wish.

Thighs will cost from £3.29 per kg to £6 per kg for organic, whereas chicken breasts will range from £11.49 per kg to £18 per kg. That's a saving of at least £8 per kg and personally, I'd take thighs over breasts any day.

(That is, when it comes to chicken...)

Ingredients

• 1kg of free range chicken thighs (£3.38)
• 180g of baby spinach (£1)
• 250g of cherry tomatoes (74p)
• 1 large red onion (10p)
• 1 lemon (23p)
• 400g of new potatoes, buy loose (52p)
• 25g of fresh rosemary (68p)

The cupboard staples...

Salt and black pepper, 1 garlic clove, sugar and white wine vinegar.

Total cost

If you already have the cupboard staples, then according to mysupermarket.co.uk, this trolley was cheapest at Asda, where it came to £6.65 - that's just £1.67 per head!

Instructions

• Let's prep and get the chicken thighs marinating. Take out the bone of each thigh (just by running your knife both sides of the bone and then underneath the bone to remove) and remove the skin (or you could leave whole with bone and skin on - just score the skin a little to get the flavours in). Place the thighs in a marinade of chopped rosemary, the juice of one lemon, a glug of olive oil, black pepper and a pinch of salt. Try and let the flavours develop for a few hours - however it's not the end of the world if it's only for 20 minutes.
• As the salad is served cold (obviously!), it's best to clean the new potatoes and cook in a pan of boiling salted water next - once cooked, cut the potatoes length-ways and chill.
• Once the chicken thighs have marinated, place under the grill for 4 to 5 minutes on each side (or a bit longer if they look thick in parts). If you decided to leave the skin and bone on the thigh, just place in a hot oven at 200C for 25 to 30 minutes - finish on the grill to get the skin crisp.
• Whilst the chicken thighs are under the grill, we can put the salad together. Place the new potatoes, washed spinach leaves, finely sliced red onions and cherry tomatoes (sliced in half) into a large bowl.
• For the dressing, blend 12 tablespoons of olive oil, four tablespoons of white wine vinegar, one crushed clove of garlic, salt, black pepper and a pinch of sugar together. Pour the dressing over the salad in the bowl and mix gently with your hands.
• Now for plating up - place the salad in the centre of each plate and serve the hot chicken thighs on top.
• Happy eating!

A bit about our Chef, Paul Warburton

Paul Warburton, a lovemoney.com staff member, had a hectic career in the world of hot kitchens and screaming chefs before joining the lovemoney.com products development team.

During these years, under the tutorage of some great chefs, he honed his skills in cooking for numbers within a tight cost and portion-controlled environment.

Now he's planning to regularly offer his help to all budding chefs in the lovemoney.com community, so you can enjoy his original, low-cost recipes with your family and friends every Saturday for free!

What lovemoney.com readers have said about Paul's other recipes

"We enjoyed this recipe very much: easy to make and even easier to eat!" varneyrob

"I made this recipe and it was absolutely delicious! Seriously good! Five of us feasted on it, and feasted well..." Ibeshy

"I made this recipe on Saturday night, and my 13 year-old son promptly requested it again for the following night!" Malcolm Wheatley

"This is a cracking risotto recipe. Just had it for lunch & it's a winner. More recipes please. Thanks." SavvyLass

Please add your own comments using the comments box below!

If you like this recipe, why not also try Paul's other Frugal Recipes: Thai Pollock curry with egg noodles | Chunky pea and ham soup| Spaghetti alla carbonara | Pork stroganoff | Green chilli meat balls, sunflower seed couscous salad and mint yoghurt |  Tagliatelle with air dried cured ham and minted peas | Beef, thyme and mushroom loaf with potato dauphinoise | Mixed bean and coriander green curry with fragrant rice | Egg Florentine with smoked cheddar and rocket salad | Beef, mushroom and thyme pie | Spicy tuna, bean and coriander lasagne |  Beef koftas with a feta, spinach and fresh mint salad | Chorizo and pea risotto | Sausage and rosemary hotpot | Beef & thyme (Lacashire) hotpot